Special education teachers for CwSN: Questions raised over TSSED proceedings

Hyderabad: Questions arose over the recent Telangana State School Education Department (TSSED) proceedings regarding the appointment of special education teachers for Children with Special Needs (CwSN).

According to TSSED, the proceedings of July 13 to all the District Education Officers (DEOs) have been issued to comply with the Supreme Court judgment on October 28, 2021, in Rajneesh Kumar Pandy and Others, on the appointment of CwSN.

A memo from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to the chief secretaries of all States had also sought compliance with the apex court’s judgment.

The proceedings informed the DEOs about the Gazette of India’s notification of September 21, 2022, amending the provision of 20 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The proceedings also cited the Rehabilitation Council of India’s communication revising the model of appointment of special teachers for CwSN.

The notified provisions say “one special education teacher for every ten pupils with disabilities enrolled,” or “one special education teacher for every 15 people with disabilities enrolled.”

The one special education teacher’s norms remain intact. However, the new provisions listing certain circumstances said that special education teachers appointed for four schools within a distance of five km in a cluster schools coverage approach.

Nowhere, it specified this applies only to private schools in the country. Making the Special Educators Forum of India (SEFI) wonder how the TSSED proceedings left out the government and issued proceedings to DEOs to ensure compliance with the judgment and the subsequent compliance only from private schools.

Are these proceedings resulting in a twisted reading and interpretation of the SC judgment and the subsequent Gazette notification of the Centre make special educators in Telangana waiting for appointment notification to scratch their heads?